Last night as the weather deteriorated, the helicopter pilots pointed us to the Magic 8-Ball when we asked if we would fly tomorrow. So I gave the 8-ball a shake. The answer: Yes, definitely. But outside, the snow streamed down as hard as ever.

Sure enough, today brought blue skies and light winds. We boarded our Bell 212 helicopter at 1:25 and took off for Cape Royds. The 10-minute flight took us past the Dellbridge Islands, past Cape Evans, where Capt. Robert Falcon Scott's second expedition lived, past the Barne Glacier's immense ice cliffs, and over the smooth black lava of Cape Royds. After the helicopter left and silence returned, we could hear penguin cries floating softly to us over the black rock.

To read on about our adventures, go to Day 6 of Polar Discovery Expedition 3.